


The Scavenger and the Smuggler

by Saoirse7



Series: The Scavenger and the Smuggler [1]
Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Adventures with blasters, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bartender Rey (Star Wars), F/M, Rey is Not a Palpatine (Star Wars), Scavenger Rey (Star Wars), Smuggler Ben Solo, Snarky Banter, Still a dyad though
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-16
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:02:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27590413
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Saoirse7/pseuds/Saoirse7
Summary: It didn’t take him long to find what he needed, the Destroyer a veritable treasure trove of old Imperial parts. While it wouldn’t be a perfect fit, it would do the trick. Quick and easy, that’s how he liked it. Or it would be, if he could shake the feeling that someone was watching him.He started to jog back to where his ship was waiting outside the yawning mouth of the wreck when pain exploded in the back of his head and he found his legs swept out from under him.Ben stared at the slip of a girl standing over him, the end of her quarter staff still in his face and did the most Solo thing he could think of: he grinned.In a happier world where he never fell to the Dark side, smuggler Ben Solo finds himself taking a job on Jakku. And there's something about the pretty scavenger he finds there...
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Series: The Scavenger and the Smuggler [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2078898
Comments: 14
Kudos: 101





	1. Chapter 1

Jakku was a barren wasteland of a planet, Ben Solo thought as his ship skimmed over the dunes. But the downed Destroyer he saw rapidly approaching might have the part he needed to fix the target lock that had been blown off after his last job, and he had some time to kill before his next one.

He checked the chrono precariously attached to the distance monitor and nodded. As long as he didn’t get lost in the maze of the wreckage, he should have plenty of time before he needed to be at the cantina.

A whistle sounded at his elbow and he looked down at his little service droid, AD-83, who also served as part-time pilot. “Yeah, buddy, that’s what I was thinking.”

It didn’t take him long to find what he needed, the Destroyer a veritable treasure trove of old Imperial parts. While it wouldn’t be a perfect fit, it would do the trick. Quick and easy, that’s how he liked it. Or it would be, if he could shake the feeling that someone was watching him.

He started to jog back to where his ship was waiting outside the yawning mouth of the wreck when pain exploded in the back of his head and he found his legs swept out from under him.

Ben stared at the slip of a girl standing over him, the end of her quarter staff still in his face and did the most Solo thing he could think of: he grinned. She was beautiful and terrifying in her fury, eyes flashing and teeth bared.

“You’re trespassing.”

He hazarded a glance around them. “In an abandoned Star Destroyer?”

“This is my sector.” A line appeared where her brow wrinkled. “Everyone knows that.”

She had an accent, Ben noticed. He still wasn’t sure if he could get up without her whacking him again. “Sorry?” he offered, when the silence indicated she wanted an answer.

Her eyes narrowed further at his response but she took a step back. Ben decided this meant he could stand. He rose cautiously, keeping his hands where she could see them.

“You’re not from around here, are you?”

He couldn’t restrain a half-smile. “No, I am not.”

She looked him up and down and stepped back further, never taking her eyes from his or relaxing her grip on her staff.

“Then I’ll forgive you this time. But if I ever catch you here again…” She waved her staff threateningly and he nodded to show he understood.

“I was just leaving.” He turned to do exactly that and was three paces closer to his ship when her voice stopped him.

“And you’ll leave the part you took.”

He chuckled, even as he glanced at her over his shoulder. Whoever heard of salvage belonging to someone before it had been claimed? “I certainly will not.”

Her mouth gaped a little at being refused, but she recovered quickly, the fiery anger resurfacing. “I need it, and this is my territory.”

“I need it too, to fix my ship.” He observed, for the first time, the bag full of similar odds and ends behind her and made an educated guess. “I’m not going to sell it.”

Her lips pursed and her eyes dropped and he knew he was right. A scavenger, one of many that made their living stripping ships like this for parts and selling the items. Well, he wasn’t here to steal her haul. In fact, he couldn’t wait to get out of this wreck.

She said nothing more and made no other move to stop him, so with a jaunty salute, he sprinted for the exit.

Two hours later, after patching up his ship with the pilfered scrap, he sauntered into Niima Outpost’s only drinking establishment, gave the barman his name, and was ushered into a back room and told to wait.

A smirking Crolute appeared after exactly twenty-two minutes and Ben was already frowning. He didn’t like playing games. He was here to do a job; there was no need to try and create a power imbalance.

“Ben Solo, they tell me. You as good as they say?”

Ben crossed his arms and shifted his weight. “Depends on what you need. I didn’t catch your name.”

The Crolute chuckled. “Unkar Plutt. I own this bar and half the Outpost. They didn’t give you the details already?”

“No.”

“I need you to collect something for me. An Imperial artifact that’s worth quite a lot, if you can manage to bring it back in one piece.”

“Don’t you have people for that? Why do you need me for a job like this?”

If Plutt took offense at his tone, he didn’t show it. He merely flashed a hideous smile and said, “No one has yet to come back alive.”

When Ben didn’t respond, Plutt nodded to a guard near the door. “The girl,” he muttered, then returned his gaze to Ben. “If and when you make it back, you’ll be doing the exchange with my associate.”

A voice came from the door with a familiar accent. “I’m swarmed with customers. What do you want?”

The Crolute gestured the newcomer inside. “It’ll only take a minute. Rey, this is Ben Solo. He’ll be collecting our prize.”

Ben turned, the edge of his mouth quirked in a grin. It _was_ the pretty scavenger from the Destroyer wreck! _Rey_. He turned her name over in his mind and decided he liked it. But any witty remark on the tip of his tongue died when she looked at him with disdain and glanced away.

“Of course you’re a smuggler,” she muttered.

“I—” he began, but she cut him off with her gaze fixed forward.

“Was there anything else?”

Plutt waved a negligent hand and she disappeared from the room.

“You’ll be doing the trade off with her. Your target is up past the sinking fields, where you’ll find a downed Destroyer separated from the rest. Located in that wreckage is the item we need.” He showed Ben a grainy hologram of a box-like object. “If the rumors are true, it shouldn’t be a problem for you.”

“You said people haven’t returned.” There had to be something missing if it was as simple as item retrieval from an empty wreck.

“Ah. Yes. Well, when the fork splits between the ridge and the dunes, take the path to the left.”

Ben raised his eyebrows, waiting for further explanation, but the Crolute merely grinned. He considered putting the fear of the local deity into the creature but quickly set the urge aside. Better not. No payments if the contact was dead. Best course of action was to do what Plutt wanted, get the credits, and get out.

He gave Plutt a terse nod, concluding their agreement, and strode back into the smoky cantina room to see what passed for alcohol on this planet.

To his amazement, Rey was behind the bar, supplying glasses of colorful liquid to a variety of patrons.

“What’ll it be?” She drifted towards him.

“What do you recommend?”

“Well, they all taste like engine fuel, so…” She absently cleaned a glass, eyes fixed on her task.

He chuckled. “Then give me the best fuel you got.”

Grabbing a bottle from a shelf on the wall, she poured him a glass of a shimmery green liquid.

She was still hovering after setting the drink in front of him, and he glanced up at last, questioning.

“Solo? Like Han Solo?” she asked in a voice just above a whisper.

Not for the first time, Ben regretted not dumping the name as soon as he realized the baggage it came with, but with every last name in his family belonging to some well-known figure, he would have had to make one up entirely to be rid of it.

He sat back a little. “Do you know him?”

“Only from stories.” There was a glimmer of admiration in her tone and he groaned internally. “You’ve heard the stories?”

“Funny enough, they don’t tell me the stories.” Not that he’d want to hear them anyway. More than half probably wouldn’t be fit for mixed company.

“So you do know him?”

He acknowledged the question with a single nod. “My father.”

“Really? Is it true he made the Kessel Run in fourteen parsecs?”

Ben laughed. He couldn’t help it. “Almost. But I will pay you actual money to say that to him as long as I can be there to watch.”

“Hey! Barkeep!” An Abednedo a few seats down knocked on the bar top, and Rey hurried back to attend to the other patrons. Her expression was one of mingled confusion and hurt, and Ben felt a sharp stab of guilt before he pushed it aside. It wasn’t his fault that everyone who didn’t know him idealized him.

It especially wasn’t his fault that everyone who did know him wanted to kill him, but Ben often found himself dealing with that mess, too.

When she returned, her jaw was set. “He’s a legend,” she defended stubbornly.

“Yeah,” Ben agreed. “But of what, they don’t say.” He studied her over the top of his glass. “What about you? Your accent says you aren’t from around here.”

Her expression shuttered faster than he could blink. “None of your business.”

He shrugged like it didn’t matter. “Just making conversation.” Mentally, he added _defensive_ to his short list of her character traits, next to _dangerous_ and _impressed by grand stories_. Given the rest of their interactions today, he would have been surprised if it had been otherwise.

“Well, make it about something else. Or finish your drink and leave.”

He’d had enough of this dingy hovel anyway. With a swift move, he tossed back the liquid, relishing the burn, and left the credits on the counter.

Then he walked out the door without looking back.

—

Rey watched him go. So what if he had eyes like the dunes at twilight and thick, dark hair that was begging to be ruffled? He was a smuggler, and smugglers were temporary. He would do Plutt’s job, hopefully not die trying, make the exchange, and be back flying among the stars in another day or two.

And she would be here, behind a bar in useless Jakku. 

Still, she found herself wishing he’d just changed the subject.


	2. Chapter 2

Ben Solo had been gone two whole days and Rey was wondering if she should be concerned.

She debated with herself most of the morning before marching into Plutt’s “office,” what he called the back room with his ledgers, where he was tinkering with a disassembled comm radio.

“Solo isn’t back yet.”

The Crolute shrugged without looking at her. “Then he isn’t as good as the stories claim.”

“Where did you send him?”

“North of the sinking fields, for the Imperial artifact no one can manage to retrieve.”

Her eyes narrowed. That was the job others hadn’t returned from. She told herself she shouldn’t get involved, but something she couldn’t explain made her want to see Solo come back alive. “That’s bolshe territory.”

“Relax, I told him to go left at the fork. There haven’t been reports of bolshe in that area.”

“Maybe that’s because no one’s made it back to report!” She let out an exasperated noise and rubbed at her temples.

Plutt looked at her then. “Why do you care?”

“Because you can’t just keep sending people in like cannon fodder! These are people’s _lives_ , Plutt. Don’t they get a little more respect?”

The Crolute sneered and went back to his work. “One less sucker I don’t have to pay.”

“I’m going after him.”

He stared in shock. “You are not.”

She set her jaw and glared at him. “You can’t stop me,” she spat, and stormed out to her speeder.

The sun had already begun its downward journey when she arrived at the Destroyer wreck. She found an abandoned speeder and no sign of Ben Solo. Heart in her throat, she started to jog to search the wreck when movement near the entrance caught her eye. She quickly drew her staff, ready for an attack, then the figure staggered into the sun.

It was Solo, and he was a _mess_. Expression dazed, hair disheveled, clothes torn and covered in…something, she wasn’t sure what. It wasn’t dirt and it wasn’t blood.

She stepped closer as his glassy eyes slid over her without recognition. “Ben?” she tried cautiously, and his unfocused gaze returned to her as he swayed.

“D’ I know you?” His speech was slurred and seemed to take effort. Had he been attacked by bolshe? If so, he shouldn’t be alive, let alone walking and talking.

“I’m Rey, we met a few days ago?”

His brow furrowed as he tried to process her words. “Where ’m I?”

“Jakku?”

“Jakku,” he repeated, and his face scrunched in contempt. “That doesn’ seem right.”

She bit back a smile. He needed help, not to be laughed at in his vulnerability. She started to guide him back to the speeders, his steps slow and unbalanced. “What happened to you?”

“Don’ know,” he mumbled. “Came from behind, don’ know why din’ sen…” His speech was becoming more and more indistinct, and she looked up in time to see his eyes roll back, barely managing to break his fall as he slumped to the ground.

Well.

With effort, she rolled him onto the shielding panel she used for salvage and dragged him over to her speeder, then heaved him over the back.

As he fell, his hair dropped to expose two puncture wounds on the side of his neck.

Rey swore softly and briskly rifled through her pack. She didn’t have the exact antidote, but what she had would hold him over for now. Bolshe toxins were potent and even though he’d somehow managed to escape the swarm, the toxin itself could kill him if left untreated.

She found her little pouch of medicine and withdrew a leaf, crushing it in her hand and adding a few drops of precious water to make a paste. Brushing his hair further off his neck, she spread the paste over the wound and covered it with a wrap. Then she lashed him to the back of the speeder and zipped towards the Outpost.

—

Everything hurt.

Muscles Ben didn’t even remember _having_ hurt.

His head was pounding and his mouth felt like the desert itself. He shifted on the cot and couldn’t stifle a groan, but didn’t hear any response around him. That was good. Probably.

After a few tries, he was able to open his eyes and take stock of his surroundings. He was in a dim room, a window to the side covered in a grimy cloth. What he thought was a cot turned out to be a few crates lined up with a blanket on top. Distantly, he could hear chatter and the clink of dishware.

Was he back in the Jakku cantina? He searched for his last memories and was met with a wall of pain.

Turning slowly, he looked for his bag, and was pleased to find it near the makeshift cot. The first thing he saw was the artifact box, and relief flooded him. So he’d managed to get out with it, and neither Plutt nor any of his “associates” had taken it while he was unconscious. That was definitely good.

He rooted around in the bag until he found his comlink, which had two messages from AD-83 checking on him. Ben smiled. Never let it be said that droids didn’t care. A little while back, he’d modified the comm to receive digital messages. The droid was the entirety of his crew, so he needed a way to receive updates from the droid about the ship and their mission. And it proved handy for instances like this.

Tapping out a quick message response, he let the comm drop back over the side into the bag and decided it was time to find his contact.

He made a shaky journey towards the noise, emerging past a curtain into the Niima Outpost cantina. He blinked at the daylight until his eyes focused enough to see Rey, working behind the counter.

Her eyes met his and her whole face lit up with a smile. “Ben! You’re alive!”

“Was that a concern?” he mumbled, puzzling over her change in demeanor towards him.

She wrinkled her nose. “A bit, yeah. Go lie down, I’ll be back in a minute.”

“Could I get some water?” He was surprised the words sounded like speech at all with how dry his throat was.

Her eyes widened and she nodded quickly. “Of course.” She grabbed a glass and filled it with a tap. “Sorry, that’s all we have.”

He learned what she meant once he took a sip, and couldn’t stop the face he made, but it was better than nothing. Returning to the back room, he perched on the edge of the crates and waited.

She didn’t make him wait long. “How are you feeling?” Pressing the back of her hand to his forehead, she took a seat next to him.

“Awful,” he admitted.

“Not surprising. Do you remember what happened?”

He shook his head and instantly regretted it. “Not really. How did I get back here?”

Her eyes skittered away from his and fixed on the window. “I brought you. You were attacked by bolshe, but you were walking out of the wreck when I found you. I can’t figure how you escaped.”

“Bolshe?”

“Large desert spiders that will sometimes live in the wrecks. Their toxins cause paralysis and they string you up to eat you later.”

He swallowed, feeling ill. “Plutt sent me in knowing they were there?”

“There haven’t been reports for that area, but they must have migrated there.”

“How do you know it was bolshe? I couldn’t have made it out if I was paralyzed.”

She eyed him. “Your symptoms and reaction to the antidote.”

His head was spinning trying to remember the attack or the escape. “How long was I out?”

“About a day and a half from when I brought you back.”

He nodded mutely, still struggling to process this information.

“Anyway,” Rey said when the silence stretched. “You have the artifact?”

Ben nodded again and grabbed his bag, handing her the small box. She turned it over a few times, tapped on it, then frowned.

“This isn’t all of it.”

A cold wave washed over him. “What do you mean?”

“There’s supposed to be something to activate it. A key, or gem, or something. Was there anything lying around beside it?”

“No, and Plutt didn’t mention a key or gem.” He was frowning now. “Is it worth the same?”

She made an apologetic face. “Probably not, but we can talk to Plutt.”

“Yeah, let’s do that.”

Typical. Almost die on a job and he doesn’t even get paid for it because of information conveniently left out.

Soon after, the two of them were with the unctuous Crolute. Ben was scowling as he leaned against the door frame and Rey handed the box to Plutt. He repeated what she had done earlier and then turned a piercing gaze to Ben.

“Where’s the crystal?”

“You didn’t mention a crystal,” Ben grit out.

“I expected them to be together. It’s worthless without the crystal.” Ben opened his mouth for a biting reply, but the Crolute continued without a pause. “So you have two options. I’ll give you a hundred credits for this for your trouble, or you can go back for the missing piece.”

One hundred credits was barely a fraction of what he’d been promised, but he didn’t relish the thought of returning to the wreck. “Since the last time I was there I almost died—”

“You won’t go alone. Rey will go with you.”

Ben was about to thank Plutt for his help when the words registered. “What?” He tossed a wide-eyed look to Rey and saw her jaw clench. “I can’t take her.”

“Of course you can.”

“She’s a liability!”

“I can take care of myself, Ben,” Rey said quietly.

“I—” He chanced another glance towards her. She was staring straight ahead, expression resigned. “I didn’t mean to imply you couldn’t,” he said finally, then narrowed his eyes at Plutt. “If she goes, you pay her too.”

_That_ got a reaction.

Rey started and gaped at him while Plutt threw back his head and laughed.

“I already pay her,” the Crolute sneered.

“Nothing like you were going to pay me for the job.”

“She gets enough.”

“At least 10,000, that’s more than fair. You know you’ll make it up when you sell the artifact.”

Rey shifted to stand next to him. “Let it go,” she murmured.

“If you care that much,” Plutt’s eyes were hard, “give her half of your share.” Ben said nothing, and an ugly smile spread across Plutt’s face. “That’s what I thought. Not so generous when it’s your money.”

Ben glared at the greedy creature, then looked at Rey out of the corner of his eye. Her expression had resumed the resigned determination. “Fine,” he said with a sigh. “We leave in the morning.”


	3. Chapter 3

The trip to the Destroyer wreck was a quiet ride. Ben sat behind Rey on her speeder, since his rented speeder was still out there. Hopefully. He wasn’t looking forward to paying that fee if he’d lost it.

The whole way there, he fumed about Plutt’s omission of information. Last night, discussing it with AD-83, the droid suggested he should charge more for the job since he had to do twice the work, but he doubted that the Crolute had the funds to pay more. While the creature would get paid handsomely once he pawned off the artifact, Ben would be long gone by then.

And he would never work with Plutt again, he knew that much. He might even put forth the effort to warn his friends away, too.

He started to ask Rey a question and was rewarded with a mouthful of sand. Rey had advised him to keep his mouth shut and now he knew why. Well, one more reason to get this job done as quickly as possible and get off this planet.

At last, they arrived back at the scene. Ben’s speeder still stood next to the gaping entrance and he wasn’t sure if that was good because no one had stolen it or bad because there was no one around to steal it.

They were well and truly on their own.

“Do you remember where you found the box?” Rey asked as they started to make their way through the dim wreck.

“Yeah, over here.”

They searched the area thoroughly with no success, no sign of any crystal, though he saw Rey bagging various other items. Right. Scavenger.

Out of the corner of his eye, he watched her head tilt, then she started off in another direction, deeper into the ship.

“Where are you going?” He followed her slowly, picking up his pace after she vanished from sight. “Wait!” There was something here, thrumming gently in the distance. He could sense it, and the further into the Destroyer they went, the stronger it was. Something niggled in the back of his memory. He had been here, done this, before. Going deeper and deeper into the wreck, trying to follow the faint call of whatever it was.

That’s when he had sensed—spiders. “Rey!” he shouted, jogging in the direction he’d last seen her and drawing his blaster.

Now that he wasn’t focused on the distant hum, he could hear the skittering of long legs, and fired a shot behind him without looking. A loud squeal let him know his shot had found its mark. “Rey!”

She emerged from an alcove he hadn’t even seen, and her eyes went wide as she looked past him and let out an involuntary gasp. “Those are—”

“Yeah, I figured. Please tell me you have a blaster.” She shook her head and he groaned, then pulled his extra from its holster and tossed it to her. “Know how to use it?”

“Just point and shoot, right? Can’t be that hard.” The latter was said in an undertone, and he thought it was directed more at herself than him.

“Pretty much. Make sure you take the safety off. Good news is, they’re hard to miss!” He fired off two quick shots and one dropped dead, while the other he’d hit recoiled and then scuttled faster after them. “Must have made him mad,” he muttered. He got in another shot before the swarm reached them and he took off through the wreck, remembering belatedly to glance behind for Rey.

To his delight, she was right behind him, pulling her quarter staff from her back. “Take a left up ahead.”

Ben didn’t see a left up ahead, until he was right on top of another narrow corridor. He almost missed it and skidded in just in time, Rey slipping in after him.

“The corridor is too narrow for them to come as a group, but they’ll still try to follow or go around. Our best bet is to pick them off as they try to squeeze through.”

He stared down at her in amazement. This scrappy scavenger was going to save his life—again. “You ready to shoot?”

She grinned and took aim.

The bolshe were already working their way through after the two, forced to go single file due to the cramped quarters. Ben and Rey both fired at the leader, and it collapsed and curled up, but the others just crawled over their dead fellow and kept coming.

“I have a bad feeling about this,” Ben grumbled.

“Oh, come on. You know your day would be boring without man-eating spiders.”

“Boring. Right. Sometimes I like boring.”

She laughed as she fired off another couple shots. “No, you don’t!”

He couldn’t believe it. She was actually enjoying this! “As long as we don’t make it a habit,” he muttered as he ducked around the swing of her staff.

To make matters even more fun, a small group of the bolshe had also gone around, finding the end of the corridor they were in and coming down the other side. Ben and Rey were now trapped in the middle of the corridor. There was no way out, except through.

Back-to-back, they fired shot after shot into the swarm, and something about it seemed _right_. Ben had never felt this exhilarated as he fought with a partner. It was like they moved in perfect sync, anticipating the other’s move and supporting it. A few times, one got too close, and Rey beat back the creature with her staff, or passed the staff back to him for him to do the same.

At last, all that remained were the smoking, charred remains of too many spiders. Ben shakily re-holstered his blaster, still wired with adrenaline, and turned to find Rey staring at him, eyes wide.

“Wow,” she breathed.

—

Rey didn’t have a lot of experience fighting with another person. Sure, she had plenty of experience fighting on her own, against creatures and humanoids of all shapes and sizes. She knew how to use their strength to her advantage and how to pinpoint their weaknesses.

But she had never fought with another person where it felt like their moves were an extension of her own.

Fighting with Ben Solo was…unbelievable. Incredible. Invigorating. Instead of feeling drained and exhausted, as she should have after that fight, she felt more alive than ever. It was like they shared pools of strength and energy, giving and taking between them.

He was watching her as they stood there in the aftermath, both breathing hard, and was he looking at her lips? “We should—” she said, her voice loud in the sudden stillness, and pointed to the exit.

“Right,” he agreed, too quickly. “Now we just need to find that crystal.”

“Oh!” In the haze of the battle, she’d forgotten to tell him. “I found it before the bolshe showed up.” With a triumphant grin, she pulled the blue, faintly glowing gem out of her pack and held it up.

He stared a long moment, entranced, then shook his head. “I hope it’s worth all this trouble.”

They picked their way back out of the wreck until they could see the bright light of the desert outside. She tossed the crystal to him as they each headed to a speeder. “Meet you back at the Outpost?”

He grinned and nodded, and both of them sped off into the dunes.

Rey arrived back to the Outpost before Ben and hurried to start her shift at the bar.

Plutt heard the shuffle and waddled out to see her. “Where’s Solo?”

“He’s coming. We got your stupid crystal.”

“Did you bring me anything else?”

“No, we were pretty focused on not dying,” she retorted. “There are bolshe there. Less now.”

Plutt’s eyes widened as he took in her meaning, then she could see the credit tallies start to add up in his head. “You both survived?”

“No.” Rey held up her hands and took two steps back. “You are _not_ going to use—”

“There a problem?”

The low voice startled her and she spun to see Solo, arms crossed, glaring at Plutt from under his brows.

“No problem,” Plutt returned gruffly, inching away back to his office.

“Good.”

“You can do the exchange with Rey.” Plutt seemed to be going for dismissive, but it was belied by his nervous glance between the two of them when Ben didn’t move.

“No, I’ll do the exchange with you.” Ben’s tone brooked no argument, and the Crolute scowled.

“I’ll send someone for you when I’m ready,” he muttered, and disappeared, eager to get away from Ben’s threatening stance.

When he was gone, Ben looked her over, brows still furrowed. “What did he want?”

“He was interested in our bolshe story and wanted to make money off of it.”

An eyebrow rose. “How?”

“We survived, so we could go back and get more things to sell.” She cleaned off the taps and pulled out a few glasses for other patrons.

Ben scoffed and shook his head as he pulled up a seat at the bar top. “Not on his life.”

“That’s what I was saying when you showed up. And I could have handled it myself.” Rey shot him a pointed look. She’d been saving herself for a long time now.

He chuckled. “I was trying to help.”

“And it was thoughtful, but unnecessary. Can I get you something while you wait?”

“How about something local?” His eyes glinted with suppressed humor and something else she couldn’t identify.

Now it was her turn to raise an eyebrow. “Are you sure about that? Remember what I said about engine fuel?”

He shrugged. “I’m sure I’ve had worse.”

“I don’t know,” she murmured as she poured amber liquid out of a tap and set the glass in front of him. “This one’s pretty bad.”

He accepted the glass but didn’t drink it, studying her instead. “Does he hurt you?”

She shook her head. “Not physically.”

He made a face. “Why do you work for him, anyway? There’s got to be something better.”

“There isn’t,” she muttered, and moved away to help another patron.

He was still staring pensively into the glass when she returned. “Do you make money from the scavenging?”

“It helps,” she hedged. “Plutt gives me extra portions and sometimes extra credits for the items.”

“That’s from Plutt, too?” He’d glanced up quickly at her statement and was now turning that impressive glower on her.

“Yes. And I’m better off than some. It’s like Plutt said, he owns half the Outpost. The ones that aren’t working for him want to be. It’s a job, anyhow,” she finished quietly. She spotted one of Plutt’s lackeys making his way to Ben and knew time was up. “I think Plutt is ready for you.” Her eyes dropped to the untouched drink in his hand and she smiled. “Are you going to drink that?”

Ben was still frowning at her, but took a large swig—and nearly spat it all over the counter as he spluttered and coughed. “Wow,” he rasped. “That is the worst swill I’ve ever had—are you laughing at me?”

She was past words, doubled over behind the counter. She tried to shake her head “no,” but only laughed harder at the look on his face.

He shook his head and ran a hand over his eyes, then coughed some more. “You weren’t kidding.”

“Knockback Nectar, made right here on Jakku,” she managed out between laughs.

“Wow,” he repeated as his face contorted with distaste. “You drink that stuff?”

“Plenty of people do,” she chuckled.

“Plenty of drunk people with no taste buds. That is terrible, an insult to liquor galaxy-wide.” His voice was hoarse. “I can’t feel my teeth, is that normal?”

“Solo, Plutt is waiting for you.” The lackey had reached the bar and was standing restlessly.

Ben waved a hand to acknowledge him, but didn’t leave. “I’ll remember this,” he pointed a finger at her, and though the words were threatening, his tone was anything but.

“Good,” she bantered back. “It’ll give you something to remember me by.”

He gave her an odd look, but as he turned to follow Plutt’s man, she could see the smile on his face.

Twenty minutes later, the bar crowded with customers, she just barely caught a glimpse of him as he strode through the cantina and out the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter not brought to you by the Mandalorian. It was written long before that episode came out! Also, I know I'm stretching canon for a few things, but it's fanfic, right?


	4. Chapter 4

The crowd was thinning out as it drew towards closing time for the cantina. Rey hadn’t seen Ben since he’d made the exchange with Plutt hours ago and figured he was long gone. She tried not to be disappointed at the thought that he hadn’t said goodbye. They weren’t friends, they were barely even acquaintances. He didn’t owe her anything.

A shadow moved in the doorway and she glanced up to her surprise to see the man himself, leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed over his chest. Her heart gave a little leap and she bit back an involuntary smile.

“We’re closed.”

“I won’t be long. I meant to tell you earlier, you did well today.” The last patrons exited as Ben sauntered over to the bar and rested his elbows on the counter.

“Thanks,” she mumbled, keeping her eyes on her task as she cleaned.

“You know, I’m not much for partners—”

“Prefer to fly solo?” she joked.

“Exactly.” He grinned. “But you were incredible out there today. If you’re interested, I was wondering if you’d like a job.”

She quirked her brow. “I have a job.” With a sweep of her hand, she indicated the cantina in all its glory.

“Yeah, one you hate, and treats you like garbage.” He rolled his eyes and leaned in. “You deserve more than this, Rey.”

“And smuggling is what I deserve?”

“I’ll have you know, I do have the occasional legitimate business deal. Not unlike with your friend Plutt.”

“He’s not my friend,” she snorted.

“Exactly. So forget him. You should be out there, seeing the stars.”

“With you?”

His mouth opened and closed, then he shrugged. “Well, yes, I would prefer that. But whether it’s with me or someone else, you should get off this horrible planet. I know half a dozen decent pilots in this sector, I could make a call and one could be here in a day.”

“I’m a pilot!”

He chuckled and she frowned. “There’s a big difference between a speeder and space.”

“I’ve flown simulators,” she defended hotly. “I could do it, I just need a ship. I’ve been saving for one, working here.” She would leave once her family returned.

“You’d make more somewhere other than here.” He clearly wasn’t going to let it go.

“I’m waiting for someone,” she blurted before she thought better of it. “I’ll leave when they come back.”

He took a step back and studied her. “Friend?” His voice dropped. “Boyfriend?”

Was that interest? She pushed the traitorous thought to the side. She couldn’t go with him, anyway. “My family.”

“When will they come back?” Even though his tone was idle curiosity, the question rankled.

“They didn’t say.”

His eyes narrowed in confusion. Far from dissuading further conversation, her answers only seemed to intrigue him more. “When did they leave? A few days ago? A month? A year?”

She decided to lay it all out. If she poked the wound enough, maybe it would stop hurting. “When I was young.”

Now his expressive eyes widened as his eyebrows arched. “When you were young? That’s what, ten years, at least?”

Closer to fifteen, but who was counting? Tears stung her eyes but she jut out her chin and defended them again. “They said they would come back. They _promised_.”

An incredulous laugh escaped as he shook his head. “And I have no doubt that they meant to, but things happen! Maybe they got lost, or captured, or—or—”

“Or died?” she challenged.

“Or lost.” His tone had gentled from the shock of a moment ago. “But you could look for them if you leave, ask around.”

The thought terrified her. Jakku was all she’d known. “What if they come back and I miss them?” she said in a small voice.

“What if they don’t, and you’ve missed all of it?”

She looked up to find his gaze heavy on her. Her mouth was suddenly dry, and she tried to swallow past the lump in her throat.

“Think about it,” he said when she didn’t respond. “I’m leaving by mid-morning, hangar two.” He started to turn away, then spun back around and tossed a small bag on the counter in front of her. It clinked when it landed. “That’s yours whether you come with or not.” Then he was gone.

Tentatively, she opened the bag, and stared in speechless disbelief. Twenty _thousand_ credits. Thousand! She could buy her own ship with this! Realization slowly dawned; that was half of what he made on this job. Plutt had challenged Solo to give her his money, and now he had. No strings attached.

Even though they had been alone in the cantina, she shot a furtive glance around her before quickly closing up the bag and stowing it. She had a lot to think about tonight.

By morning, she’d made her decision. She’d barely slept, tossing and turning, Solo’s words on repeat in her mind: _missed all of it, all of it, all of it_ … She shoved her extra change of clothes and a few things she’d scavenged and kept into a knapsack, finishing with the bag of credits from last night and the nest egg she’d been hiding from Plutt.

Then she strode into Plutt’s office. “I quit.”

He glared at her. “Don’t be a fool.”

“I was a fool to stay this long.”

“It was Solo, wasn’t it? He got to you? You can’t trust smugglers, Rey. They’ll say anything to get what they want.”

She allowed herself a smile. “Anything is better than you.”

Rey could hear him yelling behind her as she walked away, but her smile only grew. This decision was one she wouldn’t regret.

—

“Do you really think we can find my parents?”

Ben was elbows deep in trying to repair that pesky shielding that always worked its way loose when he heard AD-83 whistle _pretty girl_ and the voice behind him nearly made him jump out of his skin.

He stood up too quickly, smacked his head on the underside of his ship and, rubbing the sore spot, slowly pivoted.

Rey was standing there with an amused smile, her staff strapped to her back and a bag slung around one shoulder.

“I think we have a better chance out there than you do here,” he said in answer to her question. “Does this mean you’re coming?”

Her smile widened and she nodded. “This is your ship?”

“Yep. This is _Shadowstar_.” He patted the side affectionately.

“She looks expensive.” The teasing glint was back as she looked at him out of the corner of her eye.

He laughed. “She wasn’t this pretty when I found her. Dragged her out of a junk heap and spent forever making her space-worthy. That does mean that things don’t always work,” he thumped a fist against the shielding from a moment ago, “but we get by.”

Stepping fully out from under his ship, he flashed her a grin and beckoned for her to follow. “I’ll show you around.”

He was met by his droid at the top of the boarding ramp. “This is AD-83. He’s my crew, currently. Ady, meet Rey.”

AD-83 whistled cheerily and Rey smiled. “It’s nice to meet you, too.”

“You know droidspeak?” He couldn’t keep the surprise out of his voice.

She shrugged. “I learned a few languages around Niima Outpost.”

“Not bad,” he mumbled as they moved further into the ship. “Cockpit, fresher, crew quarters, galley, and there’s storage space back there,” he pointed out each section as they went by and then circled back around to the cockpit. “What do you think?”

She plunked into the second chair in the cockpit and grinned broadly. “It’s amazing.”

“Let me just finish up outside and then we’ll be ready to go.” AD-83 followed him with a quiet series of beeps. “Shh, yes, she is the one I told you about.” He glanced over his shoulder into the ship, hoping Rey hadn’t overheard the droid.

She didn’t seem to have when he came back in with his tools after making the shielding passably space-worthy, or at least she didn’t comment, and she graced him with a small smile while fiddling with controls on the console.

“Ready?” He began keying up the ignition sequence, and looked over to see her eyes alight, a smile she couldn’t contain stretched across her face.

He could get used to seeing those smiles.

She sat back in the co-pilot’s chair again. “I don’t think I’ve ever been more ready for anything. Where do we start?”

He smiled back in response. “Everywhere.” With a few more flips of a switch and the nav coordinates entered, they left Jakku far behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! This is the first part of (hopefully) 5 little stories that I have planned with these same characters. I hope to see you on the next one!


End file.
